Reading device.



E. D. WOODLOGK.

READING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED 00T,8,1912,

1,1 15,144. Patented m3211914.

Z SHEETS-SHEET 1, @ewifwnmunlun 1 11 l lf Med/Z. '1 Maimnia-iran strains PATENT caricia FRANK D. WOODLOCK, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

READING DEVICE.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, FRANK D. Woonpooii, a citizen of the United States, and residing at St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improve. ments in Reading Devices, of which the fol lowing is a specification.

This invention relates to devices useful for the purpose of facilitating reading.

Books, etc., as now printed use t-ype of a size which is'frequently too small and thereby causes abnormal strain on the eyes of the reader. It is not desirable to make the type -too large as this will unduly increase the bulk of the book. Some readers use magnifying reading glasses but these are inconvenient as they have to be moved over the printed pages. One of the objects of this invention theres fore is to construct a device in which the printed matter can be small so as to keep the bulk of the printed matter within bounds, and to provide means whereby this printed matter is magnified when exposed to the reader.

Another object is to construct a device in which the printed matter may be placed on a continuous sheet or web `so as to facilitate the printing thereof and do away with the binding which is necessary in books as now constructed.

Further objects will appear from the detail description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a device embodying this invention, Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3 3 Fig. 1, Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 Fig. 1, Fig. 5 is an enlarged section on the line 5-5 Fig. 3, Fig. 6 is a section showing another form of this invention, parts being shown in elevation. Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail view of the parts shown in Fig. 6, Fig. 8 is an enlarged section `on the line 8-8 Fig. 9, and F ig. 9 is a detail plan view of the lower left hand corner of the device. v Referringto the accompanying drawings and more particularly to Figs. 1 to 5 inc lu sive, 10` designates a support or casing which may be in the formof a book. This casing is provided with a cover 1 1, hinged at 12. The support or casing and its cover may be constructed of any suitable materia-l such as paper, fiber, or evenlalight metal like alu-` Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Get. 27, 1914.

Application filed October 8, 1912. Serial No. 724,679.

minum, and may be bound like an ordinary book.

A pair of strips 13 and 14 extend longitudinally of the casing, and these strips are slotted as shown at 15 to provide vertical guideways for U shaped bearing blocks 16 supported on springs 17 and adapted to receive the pintles 1S and 19 of a pair of rolls 20. The pintles 19 extend through slots 21 in the sides of the casing and are provided with knurled heads 22 positioned outside of the casing. The pintles 18 form a permanent part of the rolls but the pintles 19 are each provided with a squared portion 23 having a removable connectionuwith the roll. The fit between the pintle 19 and the roll is however tight enough to hold the pintle in position when inserted in the roll. The rolls 20 are adapted to receive a sheet or web 24 of paper or other suitable material, and the web passes from one roll to the other and is held against the bottom of the cover by means of suitable guide rods 25 mounted on the strips 13 and 14. The web is narrowed down at its ends as shown at 26 so as to slip into slots in the rolls in order to secure'the web to the rolls in a manner well known to those skilled in the art.

The cover l1 is cut away as shown in Fig. 1 so as to provide a large opening or window in the cover above the web as positioned and guided by the guide bars. A lens 27 is positioned in this window in any suitable manner, as by grooving the` inside edges of the window, the edges of the lens fitting the grooves. This lens may be of any suitable construction; in this particular .instance it is of the plano-convex type, but it may be of the ordinary double convex type. lts purpose is to magnify the exposed portion of the sheet or web which is positioned underneath the window and underneath the lens mounted in the window. The focal. length of this lens is preferably made small and this lens is so positioned with respect to thel sheet or web 24 that the printed-matter thereon will be magnified. A clasp 2S of any suitable construction is adapted to hold the cover closed. v

The ro-lls 20 can be removed and replaced when the cover is open. rlhe reading-matter will be furnished in the form of a web rolled on one ofthe rolls. In order to place having the web thereon is placed in the lower end of the casing and the web is passed over the guide bars 24 and its end 26 is attached to the upper roll. The cover is then closed and secured by means of the clasp QSL The lens will magnify the printed matteiI on 'and the lens (which we may call the first page) the knurled head 22 is turned to wind up Ithe web on the upper roll Iand roll it from the lower roll so as to expose another portion of the web. `Successive portions of the Ientire web can be thus read. The web can have an entire novel for an article or a series of articles orother reading .matter printed thereon. The type can ybe made small since it can Lbe `magnified to any suitable extent, a large amount of printed .matter can thus be placed on a web of comparatively short length. This web can on the other hand vbe madevery thin so tha-ta web Lof considerable `len'gth can be placed 'on ra roll and :in a cas ing of comparatively vsmall size. ln the manufacture of ibooks the reading matter is printed on a web and this webis cut up into pages. This latter operation requires considerable eXtra work vand also requires considerable care .in the .spacing `of the printedmatter on the different pages.' In accordnance with this invention however the web can be used as it comes from the press. It is 'necessary to hold the -sheet or web a preidetermined distance Afrom the lens in `order to obtain a clear focus, land this predetermined 'd-istance :must :be maintained as the web is rolled up and passes from one roll to the other. For this purpose the rolls are yieldin'gly supported so that the web Iwill be at all times .maintained against the lower face of the Ecover and thus a predetermined :dista-nce from the lens.

In the construction sho-wn in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive the sheet or web is moved by hand. tt is .however possible to provide lautomatic Ameans for accomplishing this. Such a construction is show-n in Figs. 6 to 9 inclusive in which parts which are similar to `those shown in Figs. l to 5 inclusive are designated by the same reference characters. The web has rolls supported in the y same :manner as in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive but the Acover lis in this case hinged at a point kslightly nearer the right hand edge of the casingas shown at 12 Fig. 9. rlhe lens vand its-mounting are however the same as in Figs. 1 Ito 5 inclusive.

The pintles 30 have square ends adapted to engage square sockets 31 on lthe ends of a pair of flexible shafts 32. These flexible shaft-s are connected to `and supported by bevel gears 33 and 34 mounted in a supporting strip 35 secured to the side wall of the easing 10. A shaft36 is supported in bearings 37-on the strip 35, and this shaft is pro- When the reader has V vided with bevel gears 38 and 39 adapted to mesh with the bevel gears 33 and 34 respectively. A torsional spring 40 is mounted on the shaft 36 and has one end thereof -conuected with the upper bearing 37 and `slot 48 in the plate 47, whereby the lever' will be normally held in this offset portion. The collar 41 is provided with Vpins 50 engaging a lug 51 on `thestrip 35. The sides of this lug are beveled Aas `shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8 `so as yto provide inclined faces 52. The'hub 53 of the bevel gear 33 is provided with an angular socket adapted to receive a ykey 54. i

W'hen lthe lever 46 is in position .shown in Fig. 8 and in engagement with 4the `offset' portion 49,- the shaft 36 will be `positioned so as to maintain the gears '38 and 39 out of engagement with the gears 33 and 34. One of the pins 50 will at this time engage the vlug 51 so as to prevent rotation of the shaft 36 under the tension of the spring 40. If now the lever 46 is moved to the position shown in F igf-Q the shaft 36 will be moved longitudinally so as to 1throw the gear 33 into mesh with the gear 33 and at the same time release :the pin 50 from the lug 51. rlhe shaft `36 is now released and will be rotated by the spring 40 so as to rotate the upper roll 20 in a `direction to wind up the sheet 4or web from the lower onto 'the -upper roll.

The inclined face 52 will cause the pins 50 to ride down gradually and this' face will act as a brake Ito brake the movement of the shaft 36. The rapid-ity Iof `winding can therefore be controlled by gradual-'ly movingv the lever 46 from ,its central position to its extreme position.

When the lever is at its vextreme -position the pins 50 will be entirely-clear of the lug so that the shaft 36 can revolve freely.k By keeping vthe pins slightly in `engagement with the inclines 52 the movement of the shaft 36 can be vbraked- The slot 45 is made slightly Vlonger than the diameter of the pin 44 so that the pins '50 will slide oif'of vthe incline when the lever 46 is nearly in its extreme position. As soon as the correct amount of the web has been wound up the lever 46 is moved back to central position so as to disconnect the gear 138 from the gear 33 and this will in turn move the collar and the pins 50 thereon into the path of the lug 5l so as to arrest the movement ofthe shaft 36. The parts are so constructed that 'the shaft will be stopped before vthe gears In order to reverse the direction of thev movement of the web the handle 46 isymoved rearwardly (or downwardly in Fig. 9) and this will cause the gear 39 to mesh with the gear 34 so as to rotate the lower roll 20. The braking action of the pins 50 and the lug 51 is similar in this case. lVhen the handle 46 is moved back to central position it will snap into the offset portion 49 and lock the shaft 36 in normal position with the gears 38 and 39 thereon out of mesh with the gears 33 and 34 respectively. In order to wind the spring 40 the handle 46 is moved to the position shown in Fig. 9 to throw the gears 38 and 33 into mesh, turning of the key 54 will now wind the spring. This will, of course, rotate the upper flexible shaft 82,

but since the upper roll20 can, at this time, f

be removed, this roll will not be rotated. rlhe rolls can be readily removed and replaced since the ends of the pintles 30 are adapted to readily connect with and disconnect from the sockets 31 in the fieXible shafts 32. These flexible shafts will permit either upward or downward movement of the rolls as the web is wound and unwound therefrom.

lt is obvious that various changes may be made in the details of construction withoutl departing from this invention within the scope of the appended claims, and it is therefore to be understood that this inven tion is not to be limited to the specific constructions shown and described.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is:

l. A reading device comprising a casing, a cover hinged on said casing, a lens mounted in said cover, a pair of rolls adapted to receive a printed sheet, said rolls being mounted in said casings for movement toward and from said cover, springs for sustaining said rolls, constructed to permit said rolls to automatically adjust themselves with respect to said lens as the sheet rolls from one roll to the other, and a series of guide rods extending across said casing in the space between the rolls and arranged directly underneath said lens and underneath the sheet, adapted to constantly maintain the sheet between the rolls in a predetermined position underneath said lens, to cause said lens to expose and magnify the printed mattei' on the sheet, said rolls and sheet being maintained in position by said cover when closed, and being removable when said cover is open.

2. A reading device comprising a casing, a lens mounted on said casing, a pair of rolls in said casing adapted to receive a printed sheet together with means for automatically maintaining said rolls and the sheet between said rolls in a position with respect to said lens to cause said lens to expose and magnify the printed matter on the sheet, and operating means having a flexible connection with one of said rolls.

3. A reading device comprisinga casing, a lens mounted on said casing, a pair ofv rolls in said casing adapted to receive a printed sheet together with means for automatically maintaining said rolls and the sheet between said rolls in a position with respect to said lens to cause said lens to expose and magnify the printed matter on the sheet, including means for adjustably supporting one of said rolls in said casing, and operating means on said casing having an automatically adjustable connection with said roll.

4. A reading device comprising a casing, a lens mounted on said casing, a pair of rolls in said casing adapted to receive a printed sheet together with means for automatically maintaining ysaid rolls and the sheet between said rolls in a position with respect to said lens to cause said lens to expose and magnify the printed matter on the sheet, and driving means having flexible driving connections with said rolls.

5. A reading device comprising a casing,

a lens mounted on said casing, a pair of rolls in said casing adapted to receive a printed sheet togetherl with means for automatically maintaining said rolls and the sheet between said rolls in a position with respect to said lens to cause said lens to expose and magnify the printed matter on the sheet, including means for removably and adjustably supporting one of said rolls in said casing, and driving means having a removable and flexible driving connection with one of said rolls.

6. A reading device comprising a casing, a lens mounted on said casing, a pair of rolls in said casing adapted to receive a printed sheet together with means for automatically maintaining said rolls and. the sheet between said rolls in a position with respect to said lens to cause said lens to expose and magnify the printed matter on the sheet, including means for removably and adjustably supporting said rolls in said casing, and driving means having removable and fiexible driving connections with said rolls.

ln testimony whereof I aliix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

FRANK l). VOODLCK. llVitnesses:

J. H. BRUNINGER, CrrAs. A. BECKER.

Copies o1.' this patent may beobtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner or Patents, Washington, ID. C.

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